Unconditional

“And you do?” She narrows her eyes at Aria, and I can already see this is not going to end well.

“Mads…” I start, not wanting to see things escalate even further.

She ignores me and continues. “You know what love really looks like, Aria? You’re such an expert, right?” The implication is clear and everyone falls silent waiting for Henry or Aria to defend their love as fiercely as Maddie and I plan to.

No one speaks.

Aria’s chest heaves up and down, seconds from breaking down when she turns to Henry. “And you knew…? You all knew and you’re just okay with this?”

“I just found out…believe me, I am not okay with it,” Henry growls. “I still think she shouldn’t be living with him.” Despite the fact that I already have a plan in place for her to live with Margie, I want him to know it is not his decision.

“She needs to be staying with us,” Aria interjects.

“That’s not your call to make,” I growl. The idea of Maddie going to stay with two people that would undoubtedly make her feel wrong for having the feelings she does is not going to happen.

“So, you think it’s right for her to stay with you…? While you’re…” Henry shakes his head and Aria interrupts.

“She can’t stay with you. This is disgusting and I am so…sick over this, honestly.” At this point, Aria is shaking, her fists flexing and unflexing and her entire body is stiff and rigid. “If you were anyone else, I’d be bringing you in for questioning.” She puts a hand over her eyes. “I still might.”

“Aria, stop!” Maddie snaps. “Just stop! I am not that broken little kid anymore. I know that’s how you still see me, but I’m not. And in six more hours, I’ll be an adult, capable of making my own decisions. Decisions that you can either support or—”

“Support?” she exclaims. “I can’t support this, Maddie. It’s wrong. And one day when you’re far away from here and…him, you’ll see my point. One day you’re going to look back on this with so much regret. I know you love Cal, but you can’t have him this way, Maddie. It’s wrong.”

“It’s not wrong, stop saying that! What’s wrong is staying in a relationship with someone you don’t love. That’s wrong,” Maddie snaps and I know she’s agitated. I can feel the waves of tension flowing off of her and it’s only a matter of time before she says something she regrets.

“Okay, everyone just take a breath,” Grant speaks up. “Before someone says something they can’t take back.” He shoots Maddie a look and the pink colors her cheeks over being scolded.

“And it’s Christmas,” my mother adds. “I already told you to check this foolishness at the door.”

“This isn’t foolishness, Margie, I can’t believe you’re downplaying it.”

“And how are you even okay with this?” Henry asks as he turns to our mother.

“I’m always okay with love, Son.”

“This isn’t love this is—” Henry starts.

“Careful.” Grant shoots him a glare.

“I don’t think anyone asked for your opinion,” he growls as he throws his hand up towards him. “This is a family matter.”

I put a hand over my eyes, preparing for this to blow up even more.

“And he’s my family,” my mother argues. “And I’m yours. So that makes him yours too, and we are the only family you’ve got, Henry. Now you stop this right now. I didn’t raise you to be like this.”

He snorts. “You barely raised me at all. Maybe you raised Cal, but you didn’t raise me. By the time you decided to be our mom again, I was already pretty self-sufficient.” I narrow my eyes as I try to remember that time in between my dad leaving and my mother meeting Grant. The time is blurry since I was only six and Henry was ten, but clearly Henry had a much different experience. “But hey, we know at least one thing I got from you,” he raises his glass of whiskey to her before taking a long sip.

Blood boils in my veins and I flex my hand so I don’t send my fist flying at his face. “Henry, enough. What is wrong with you?” I bark at him. “You’re pissed at me, but don’t take it out on Mom.”

“And you need to watch your mouth, or you can see yourself out.” Grant isn’t usually confrontational, even when Henry is being a dick, but right now my mother is wringing her hands on her dishcloth, tears pouring from her face, and I know Grant has zero tolerance for that.

Henry snorts. “Fine. I’m out. Aria are you coming?”

Aria looks at me and then at Maddie and shakes her head. “I raised you too, Maddie, and for you to think I don’t have your best interest at heart…”

“I didn’t say you didn’t,” Maddie whispers. “I know you do.”

“Then why can’t you understand that I know what I’m talking about? That this is going to hurt you in the long run. It has already changed you so much.”